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Cloaca
1906
Feb 27, 2018
I got my Crown & Buckle melange (linen and royal) perlon straps the day before yesterday. My thoughts:
- Probably good summer straps when you're sweating and want something less sporty/military than a NATO.
- Nice material, nice texture
- Quality control problems with the latitudinal "weft" (not really an accurate term since the fabric is woven on the bias) not being perpendicualar to the sides of the strap, and it's uncorrectable because of the sewn and melted parts.
- One of those kinds of thin, slippery straps that makes you afraid you're going to drop your watch on the concrete when you put it on or take it off. Best to do at a desk with a towel underneath.
- Very small, just enough for my 7-inch wrist, but not a milimeter more.
- Very fiddly to put on because the buckle is the kind with the tang in the middle of a buckle frame, a double-D buckle, not a D-buckle. The material is floppy and hard to thread through the buckle, despite some stiffenner on the end. And the keeper is difficult to use also, especially if it's near the buckle, where a second layer of the fabric floats free. This is basically a put-it-on-at-home-in-the-morning strap that you don't dare touch until you take it off. Maybe you'd like to loosen it up during the day? Probably best to make do.
- The overall feel is lightweight and might not be great on a big watch, although it worked for me on a thick diver. The buckles are very delicate looking, thin stamped metal, with the frame about 2.5 mm wide.
- Personally, for my lifestyle, I would more often use a NATO. In the same order I got a NATO from Crown & Buckle that I would judge to be average. I got their "premium" quality, which has the color I wanted, not their more expensive "supreme" quality.
kpjimmy
12656
Feb 27, 2018
CloacaI sorta agree with perlons not really meant for clunky divers. More dressy but there's exceptions. But in my experience so far the better hardware than what is out there. I do not have any of the the surpreme natos from C&B so I cannot say. But the look of them didn't hit me as a "gotta" have. I'm more of a toxicnatos kind if guy and sprinkle that with alpha slims from blushark.
Cloaca
1906
Feb 27, 2018
kpjimmyI've been waiting for you to get a strap from Phenome NATO Straps.
http://phenomenato.com/
They seem like they may be the ritziest of the bunch.
They only come in gray, black, Bond, and dark blue, plus a heavier Bond, all with polished or brushed steel hardware. They also come in two lengths.
The company is out of Budapest, Hungary, and I believe that it's one of those passionate hobbyist projects by a watch nut.
The Toxic NATO website turns me off, it's so chaotic, and the general impression is that it's operated by a member of a biker gang in his spare time. The marketing copy is not the best: "WOW holy crap! We have out done ourselves again!!! This is the "king of the crop" nylon strap that rivals the big boys in quality."
kpjimmy
12656
Feb 27, 2018
CloacaI know I have one. I posted on WUS on my thoughts months ago. Basically the material is the best out there IMO. But the hardware is like the ADPT straps. Not horrible, but not Havestons or even Toxic.
I like toxic. I was once in the same opinion, but I got over it. The products justify the over the top marketing. And I think he is a fellow Veteran. So I tend to gravitate towards them if the product is what I use.
Cloaca
1906
Feb 27, 2018
kpjimmyYikes, Haveston looks really serious. They look like they have taken control of the production process and are turning out custom webbing and hardware, whereas Toxic looks like he has contacted every vendor on Alibaba and has found the best that Shenzhen, China, has to offer (his bargain "R&D" sales hint at some bum vendors that he's discovered along the way and some wrong turns and miscommunications with suppliers).
kpjimmy
12656
Feb 27, 2018
CloacaI have no issues with anything made in China nowadays. Heck the Ferrum Forge Falcon x WE x Massdrop made that folder and IMO is a great folder for the price. And that's just one example.
Again I reiterate that I like the overall quality of toxics and I keep returning there, but if there's a different one to try, which I did fine one in Canada that I am getting to see how their slim seatbelts look and feel like.
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